Wildlife and Birdwatching

Mid Wales has a variety of exciting environments to explore and watch wildlife. In the space of a single walk or visit to a nature reserve you may well be walking among ancient woodlands, traditional hay meadows, open moorland, wetlands, lakes and riverside areas. Birdwatching in these diverse areas is rewarding for experts as well as those who love to see and learn more about the various summer visitors and resident birds in Mid Wales. Of special interest are reserves owned by wildlife organisations, including Gilfach Farm and Bailey Einon, the Elan Valley Estate as well as the kite feeding centres at Gigrin Farm and Nant yr Arian. We are fortunate to have small but thriving colonies of water vole in the Elan Valley and on nearby farms and badgers can also be seen at a local farm. Increasing environmental awareness has helped maintain amphibian populations and a huge number of dragonfly and damselfly species can also be seen at lots of sites in Mid Wales. Radnorshire Wildlife Trust has a good reserve guide for where to see specific flora and fauna.

See the following pages for detailed information about the species you may find in Natural Mid Wales